Happy Now?
by ReesiesLover
Summary: complete Sasuke's back, with the first part of his goal achieved. Are Sakura and Naruto ready to deal with his return? Eventual SasuSaku, contains NaruHina Rated T. Prequel to my next story, not titled or published yet.
1. Part One

**A/N: **I wrote this while listening to music, so there are lyrics scattered about. Music inspires me, so I put lyrics to signify feelings or thoughts or just parts of the plot. The songs are listed in order of appearance at the end! (The lyrics are italicized, with their own little section, and with ellipses. … So hopefully you won't get confused or something…)

Two things you should probably know:

1. This chapter is broken up into two different point of views. But never fear! It's not very confusing!

2.This is my very first Naruto fic. If you find anything wrong with my information--such as names and titles, please correct me! I'll appreciate it!

Also, I don't have a beta, so if you find any mistakes, I'm sorry.

**Happy Now: Part One**

* * *

…_you can't run away from yourself…_

* * *

"I knew you could be strong," the dying man rasped. "All you needed was a purpose." 

With that, the man drew his last breath. A younger man was standing over him.

"Nii-san," he whispered, using the title for the first time in many years. "I hated you. I loathed you. I _despised_ you. After what you did, how could I look up to you anymore?"

There was a pause as the young man looked at his blood-covered hands.

"And now…I'm just like you."

* * *

Somewhere far away, Sakura Haruno was focusing on painting her fingernails. She was new at it and not very good. To say it was frustrating would be an understatement. She carefully painted each one, trying not to get the polish on her skin. She nearly dropped the small brush when a large mass of orange and black flew by her. Glaring at the boy who had tripped over a chair and was now laying on her floor, she set the brush and bottle down. 

The blonde-haired boy stood up and grinned. "Hello, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura punched Naruto on the top of his head. "Baka! I'm right here! You don't have to yell!"

"Sorry, Sakura-chan! Guess what!" Naruto yelled excitedly.

Sakura rubbed her temples. Her head was already pounding from the loud voice of her friend. "What?"

"We have a new mission! Tsunade-sama has requested Team Kakashi report to her office immediately." There was a pause as Sakura looked at her nails. "That means now…"

"Hmpf. Fine. But I'm taking my nail polish with me."

* * *

The young man was walking in the direction of what he hoped was Konoha Village. He was running low on chakra and dangerously close to collapsing. He hoped he would get to a suitable resting area before he blacked out. 

After a few minutes of stumbling over rocks and tree roots, he came across a clearing. He dropped his sack of provisions next to a tree and sat down slowly against the trunk.

'_Perfect_,' he thought before everything went black.

* * *

"Your mission is C-rank." Naruto scowled but surprisingly kept quiet. "You are to find and bring back a scroll containing techniques from the Sand. The scroll fell out of a chuunin's bag during another mission, but the scroll with the most importance was kept safe with the jounin leading the team. You three will need to find the scroll before anyone else can. The Kazekage is not pleased, so try to find it as soon as possible. You are dismissed." 

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Sakura said, bowing. The Hokage merely nodded. Her eyes flashed to Sakura's hands.

"Is that nail polish?"

Sakura blushed.

Naruto, growing restless, said, "Let's go already! Gaara is counting on us!"

He grabbed Sakura's collar, trying to drag her to the door, but that was a mistake.

"Naruto!"

He tried to but didn't have enough time to dodge the incredibly strong blow aimed at his stomach. Kakashi looked up from his book. Tsunade watched the teammates with her chin rested on her folded hands.

"Sakura, let Naruto go," Kakashi said reluctantly. "This mission could be over with in no time, but you need to save all your chakra incase you need it. You can fight later."

Tsunade frowned slightly. She had been eager to see her student fight Jiraiya's.

Sakura loosened her hold on Naruto's neck and blushed again. "Gomen, Kakashi-sensei. That won't happen again."

Kakashi smiled and whispered in Sakura's ear. "Actually, watching a battle between you and Naruto would be very fun. So if it happens again, make sure you have all the time you need."

Sakura grinned back. "I only need five minutes."

"Come on, already!" Naruto said, apparently already recovered from the blow to his stomach. He ran out the door singing a song about goats and chickens.

* * *

In the dream, he was running. There were buildings everywhere, decorated with the emblem of his clan and splattered with blood. As he was running, the sky grew from dark grey to completely black. His eyes took only a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. He stumbled over something too large and soft to be a rock. He gulped and looked down. 

His eyes went wide and he dropped to his knees.

He had stumbled over his own dead body.

* * *

"What were the coordinates again?" Naruto asked Sakura as the jumped from tree to tree. 

"Why do I have to tell you? Kakashi-sensei is leading us, so we just have to follow him," Sakura said, only slightly breathlessly as she jumped a little farther away from Naruto each time.

Naruto frowned and tried to catch up.

"But, Sakura-chan, I really need to get this mission over with."

Sakura looked back at him, worried. He wasn't acting like himself.

"Naruto-kun." She added the –kun because she knew it would make him happy. "What's wrong?"

He looked down and slightly blushed. "I'll…uh…I'll tell you when we get back to the village."

Sakura smiled. Blushing—even slightly—for Naruto meant one thing.

Girls.

_

* * *

_

He touched the corpse's face. Yes, it was definitely his. The open, unseeing eyes were his too, but he tried as hard as he could not to look at them.

Suddenly, the stench of blood entered his senses and he nearly gagged. He clutched his stomach and lay down on his side.

Why was this happening to him?

* * *

They were closing in on a battle scene, Sakura thought. All three of them could smell blood. She could also feel a small amount of chakra, meaning that a person was still alive and probably needed medical attention. It was a good thing Tsunade-sama had assigned them this mission if the person was an ally. 

Sakura hoped they got there before it was too late.

* * *

…_and when the last one falls…_

…_and when it's all said and done…_

* * *

He awoke from the nightmare with a start. He groaned when he scraped his already injured back on the base of the tree. Rubbing his arm, he looked around at his surroundings. Frowning, he sensed at least three people's chakras about twenty meters away, and they were closing the distance quickly. He winced as he rose slowly and concealed his remaining chakra. Limping, the young man walked slowly over to the bushes half way out of the clearing and hid. There was no need to be caught now. If he was right, he was only a couple of hours away from the village. 

Quickly, the people entered the clearing. From where he was, he could only see their feet. Strangely, they weren't talking. They seemed to be looking at where he had been sitting.

With a mental curse, he realized he left his pack of provisions next to the tree, and that he had probably bled all over the place. Blacking out was not a good thing to do when trying to hide.

His eyes opened wide when he heard a girl speak.

"This blood is recent. When the person concealed their chakra, it must have taken a lot of strength. If we find them, I could heal some of the wounds. They will probably die within two days if we don't find them and take them to Tsunade-sama. She may be the only one to heal this."

No. It couldn't be. Not her. Not now, when he was so close to the village. And now she was going to ruin his plan.

"Right," another familiar voice said. "I'm guessing they went in the direction of the trail of blood over there."

The man chuckled. "Sakura, you may be book smart, but your observation skills might be a little slacking right now."

Sasuke glared at the feet of the one that spoke next. "It may be the nail paint she was using earlier."

"Nail _polish_," corrected the girl.

_Nothing's changed_, he thought, smirking. He caught himself and glared at the feet again. With a wince, he felt pain shoot up his right leg. Looking down, he saw that it was scraped and cut with a few deep bruises. It must have happened towards the end of the battle with his brother, when he had almost fallen off the edge of a ravine.

He clutched the leg, grimacing. With a small gasp of pain, everything went black again.

* * *

"We need to find them before—" 

All three heads turned in the same direction.

"Did you hear that?" Naruto said loudly.

"Shush!" Sakura said, stepping in front of him. She examined the area where the noise had come from. Small pools of blood were surrounding a large bush.

Kakashi stepped forward and said, "This could be dangerous. If this person concealed their chakra with so little left, it means they do not want to be caught."

He reached for the closest branch and moved it out of the way. "Either way, we'll find out soon enough."

* * *

**Songs used:**

"Happy Now"---Michelle Branch

"Here Without You"---3 Doors Down


	2. Part Two

To avoid confusion, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke are all nineteen to fit this story.

Song lyrics are from "Collide" by Howie Day.

Sorry if the characters are too OOC for you. I'm trying my hardest, so I don't want to let you down.

**Happy Now: Part Two**

* * *

…_out of the doubt that fills my mind…_

…_I somehow find…_

_...you and I…_

…_collide…_

* * *

_He reached for the closest branch and moved it out of the way. "Either way, we'll find out soon enough."_

What he saw shocked him. Not saying anything, he moved in front of Sakura and Naruto, blocking their view of the person behind him. Naruto looked confused and Sakura frowned. After a few seconds, Kakashi spoke.

"Sakura, go back to the village and get Tsunade-sama as fast as you can. Naruto, you go with her."

Still confused, Naruto said, "But, Kakashi-sensei—"

Kakashi turned to face them and glared impatiently. "Just. Go."

Sakura started running immediately, but Naruto hesitated. He tried to see around Kakashi but Kakashi had moved closer to the bush and was now completely blocking the sight of the person hidden in it. Naruto scowled and ran after Sakura.

Kakashi kneeled in front of the unconscious young man and sighed.

"What have you done to get in this state?" he asked aloud.

Surprisingly, the young man answered. "_I've reached the first part of my goal_," he whispered so quietly and raggedly that Kakashi barely heard it. The young man's faced relaxed as he slipped further into unconsciousness.

Kakashi smiled.

* * *

Naruto caught up to Sakura in less than ten seconds. They ran in silence for a while until Naruto said, "Sakura-chan, why would Kakashi-sensei send us away like that?!" 

"I think it's best we just do what he says. After all, he is our leader," Sakura said in a maternal tone.

Naruto just scowled again. "But as a part of the team, we deserve to know what's happening! We can't carry out missions if we don't know what the mission is!"

"Naruto, if Kakashi-sensei sent us to get Tsunade-sama, then the person in the bush is probably either extremely dangerous or someone in a very bad condition. We can't jeopardize this because we want to know something probably trivial," Sakura sighed.

_Maybe I was wrong to think he's changed_, she thought._ He's still as impatient as ever._

Naruto actually growled at this. "Fine! We'll go get the Hokage-sama, but I'm going to find out what Kakashi-sensei is hiding whether he likes it or not."

* * *

Kakashi did what he could to clean up the young man's wounds. He did not know how to heal any of the bruises or cuts, and he didn't want to risk injuring the missing-nin even more. It was amazing he had been able to conceal his chakra from them, let alone walk so far after killing his mentor and then brother. Kakashi pushed the young man's matted bangs out of a cut on his forehead and wiped the some of the dirt and blood off. 

_He is definitely an Uchiha_, he mused.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura called as she and Naruto ran through the door of her office. Sakura skidded to a stop at the Hokage's desk. Shizune almost fell out of her chair next to Tsunade's desk, but Tsunade barely jumped. 

"Sakura? Naruto? Why are you back so early? Where's Kakashi-san?" Shizune worriedly asked.

Sakura bowed and said, "Nothing's exactly wrong, but we need Tsunade-sama immediately. We stumbled across someone with very serious injuries and Kakashi-sensei is waiting with them."

Tsunade stood up and pushed her paperwork toward Shizune. "This will have to wait," she said. "I'll handle it when we get back."

Shizune looked warily at the Hokage. "Okay…be careful, Tsunade-sama."

And they left, with Sakura and Naruto leading the way.

* * *

When they got to the clearing, Kakashi immediately sent Sakura and Naruto back to the village to get some bandages for the insignificant injuries. In their haste, they didn't even try to see the person Kakashi was hiding from them. 

Tsunade rolled her eyes as Naruto grumbling something about old women and perverted senseis. But when she saw whom it was that Kakashi had been hiding from Sakura and Naruto, she gasped.

"But…why?" she whispered. "Why is he back now?"

Kakashi merely frowned. "You should have realized that by now, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade knelt by the young man and started focusing on moving her chakra to her hand. When she gathered enough, she pressed her hand on one of the many bruises on his leg. The bruise disappeared immediately.

"You certainly are something," she said to him. "Defeating one of the legendary Sannin and then one of the most feared Shinobi in Konoha. It's a wonder you're even alive."

Kakashi cut in. "He still has something he needs to do."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow as she moved on to healing a third bruise. "Oh? And what's that?"

"I don't want to hide anything from you, Hokage-sama," Kakashi began, "but I think you'll find out when he heals, both physically and emotionally."

She frowned. "I hate waiting."

"You won't have to wait long, I can tell you that."

* * *

By the time Sakura and Naruto arrived back in the clearing, Tsunade was gone. And so was whoever had been hiding in the bushes. Naruto dropped the bag of bandages on the ground and swore. 

"Now what, Kakashi-sensei? What are you keeping from us?" he yelled.

"Naruto, calm down," Sakura said, grabbing his arm. "Stop acting like you're twelve."

Naruto wrenched his arm free from her. "I am not."

"You just proved my point."

Naruto glared at her and stomped over to Kakashi. "Who was it?"

Kakashi crossed his arms and sighed. "Let's get going. We need to finish our mission."

"Hai," Sakura said, and followed their leader out of the clearing.

Naruto stayed behind for a second and looked at the forgotten bag lying next to the tree the person had been leaning against. After checking to make sure that Kakashi and Sakura were out of sight, he walked over towards it and went through it quickly. All he found in it were a few pieces of traveler's bread, some dried meat, and a ripped blue shirt.

"Damn." He had been looking for something easily identifiable.

* * *

Tsunade put the young man on a bed in the most secure section of the hospital. After healing most of the bruises on both of his legs and some small cuts on his chest, she realized that five of his ribs and his right leg were broken. She had to have a lot of chakra to heal the ribs, his leg, and all the other small injuries on his abdomen, face, and arms. And for that, she needed Shizune. 

When said woman appeared at the door to the hospital room, clutching a well-dressed pig and gasping for breath, Tsunade said, "Shizune, I need you to heal the small cuts on this boy. I need to use most of my chakra on his broken bones. There are too many other injuries for me alone."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. I understand." Shizune set TonTon—who was whimpering—on the floor.

Shizune grabbed a cloth out of a bowl of clean water and started wiping the dirt and dried blood Kakashi had missed off the young man's face. When it was all gone, she gasped.

"Tsu—Tsunade?" she whispered. "Is this who I think it is?"

Tsunade merely nodded as chakra started to flow from her hand into the young man's leg.

* * *

When the young man woke up, he was surrounded by white. 

_Am I dead? The pain is gone…what happened?_

He tried to lift his head off the pillow but a woman spoke.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you."

_Oh…good. I must not be dead. _

He turned his head towards the voice and grimaced as the light from the window nearly blinded him. He looked back up at the ceiling.

_Yep. Definitely not dead._

"Who—Who are you?" he whispered raggedly. "Where am I?"

"You are in Konoha Hospital. All of your serious injuries are healed, but I am going to make you heal the rest on your own. It's the least you could do after betraying my village for such a stupid reason."

"Hokage-sama?" he asked. "I thought your voice sounded familiar."

Tsunade watched as the boy clenched his fists, obviously trying to mask his anger at her statement. She smiled.

"Get better for punishment you will receive. Betraying Konoha is exactly like betraying me, and I do not take things like this lightly. I'm amazed that you had the guts to even come back."

"I have something I need to accomplish."

Tsunade looked up, now more interested in the conversation than before. "Oh?"

But he had already gone back to sleep.

* * *

After delivering the scroll to the Sand's ambassador, Temari, Sakura walked up to the desk in the lobby of the hospital. "Excuse me, but could you tell me if the Hokage-sama has been here?" she asked the receptionist. 

"I'm sorry, but I just started my shift. Want me to go ask someone else?" the woman said nicely.

Sakura thought for a second. "No, that's okay. I'll come back later."

The receptionist frowned but said, "Okay, then. Have a nice day!"

Sakura nodded and said, "You, too," before walking back outside.

Sakura sat on a bench across the street from the hospital and sighed.

_Now what am I going to do? I want to know whom Kakashi-sensei was hiding as much as Naruto does! But Tsunade-sama is most likely guarding the room. Naruto's probably already been here, so maybe I can find out who it was from him…On second thought, Tsunade-sama probably wouldn't let Naruto within fifty meters of a patient, especially one we obviously are not supposed to know about. _

Sakura stood up and grinned as an idea popped into her head.

_I've got it!_

* * *

"Are you going to tell them he's back," Tsunade asked Kakashi when he arrived in the hospital room, "or are they going to find out on the Shinobi grapevine?" 

Kakashi smiled beneath the cloth covering half of his face. "They'll find out on their own, trust me. My students have been taught well."

Tsunade watched his face carefully as he started reading his Icha Icha Paradise novel. "You want them to try and find out on their own?"

"Let's say it's time for some more training."

* * *

In order for this to work, she had to use a jutsu to change her appearance. Her hair was dark brown and her skin slightly darker. Her eyes were still green but a duller color, and she was a little taller and thinner. Sakura straightened her skirt nervously. She hoped it wouldn't be obvious that she was not really Kira Rei from the medic-nin training academy doing research. 

_And if Tsunade-sama is still there, she'll definitely know it's me_, she thought.

Taking a deep breath, she left her small apartment and headed towards the hospital. After glaring at men who whistled at her, she arrived back at the front desk.

"Excuse me, but I'm doing a research paper on the Hokage-sama's medical breakthroughs and I heard she was here. Could you tell me where she is?" she asked a different receptionist from before.

The receptionist nodded and smiled. "She is on the third floor. That floor is very secure, so you'll have to find out which room she's in there. They don't disclose Shinobi matters with us unimportant receptionists!"

Sakura nodded. _So that person was a ninja. But why would Kakashi-sensei want to hide them from us?_

* * *

In this dream, he was lying on something cold and hard. The back of his head throbbed in pain as though someone had hit it. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find tears streaming down his face. He frowned and wiped them off. 

_Where am I this time?_

He stood up and looked around. He immediately realized where he was.

He was at the bench where he left Sakura that night.

* * *

When Sakura arrived on the third floor, she was relieved to find that Tsunade was not there. According to a chuunin who was there to visit a friend, Tsunade had left ten minutes before. 

_Perfect!_ Inner Sakura shouted. _Now I'll have no problems finding out who it is!_

Sakura tried to act disappointed by this information. "Well, do you know which room she was in? Maybe her patient could tell me a few things for my paper."

"Yeah, sure. She was in room 355."

Inner Sakura cheered maniacally. _YES!_

"Thank you so much!" Sakura said, not bothering to hide her enthusiasm. She felt like she could kiss him, but that would have been a little awkward.

She practically ran down the hallway to the room. Right before she was about to put her hand on the door handle, she stopped.

_What if this person is someone I don't even know? But if it _was_ someone I don't know, why would Kakashi-sensei hide him or her from us? It _must _be someone we know. And if Kakashi-sensei hid him or her, would I even want to know?_

Sakura pushed the door open. _There's only one way to find out._

* * *

The young man woke up when he heard someone stop at the door to his room. He quickly hid his head under the covers and pretended to go back to sleep. He didn't want to deal with anyone right now. 

The door slid open and the person walked in. They paused a few feet from his bed and sighed. He resisted the urge to sink deeper into the mattress. Doing so would make it obvious he was awake. So he lay there and wondered what the person was doing. Their chakra was familiar, but he couldn't place it. Growing frustrated, he scowled and wondered what the hell that person was thinking. They were obviously studying the bed as though they were trying to figure out if he would get mad if they threw the sheets off.

He sighed and thought, _Might as well make the decision for them._

* * *

Sakura watched the person beneath the sheets and analyzed their form. 

_Probably male in his late teens or early to mid-twenties. Their chakra has recovered a bit and it feels familiar—What? He—or she—is moving! Ah! I have to get out of here!_

But Sakura couldn't make herself move as the person's hand shot out from the top of the sheets. The man grabbed the sheet covering his face and pulled it down under his chin.

Sakura nearly fainted.

"Sas…uke…kun…?"

* * *

**A/N:** I'd like to remind you that if I get titles, names, or anything else wrong, please correct me! I'd really appreciate it. 


	3. Part Three

**A/N: **It seems that I forgot the disclaimer. Silly me.

Anyway, if I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be writing this on FanFiction(dot)net. So now you know. I do not own Naruto.

* * *

"_Sa...suke...kun…?"_

Sasuke watched as the woman who had walked in stare at him with a strange expression on her face. She looked like she was extremely happy, livid, and sad all at one time. How a person could look like that all at once was baffling. She started muttering to herself as Sasuke continued to watch her with a blank expression on his face. The strange woman's knees were shaking so much that she practically fell into the chair that the Hokage had been sitting in earlier.

Finally, he spoke. "Who are you?"

The woman jumped at stared at him for a few seconds. "Wh—What?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Clearly, this woman was having some sort of mental breakdown. "I said, 'Who are you?'"

"Oh…uh…could you excuse me for a moment?" she said loudly and quickly.

Sasuke nodded and watched her practically run out the door.

_What the hell?_

_

* * *

_

Sakura paced back and forth in front of the door. She couldn't believe the man who had abandoned her and Naruto seven years ago was back, and she hadn't even been able to mentally prepare herself!

This was going to cause some major issues.

Sakura stopped paced and sat on the floor next to the door. Still frantically thinking, _Sasuke's back_, over and over, she started biting the polish off her nails. Numerous plans were entering her mind.

_Look, he doesn't even know it's me. I could pretend this never happened and wait until he tries to find me himself. _If_ he tries to find me. I don't see why he would. At least, I hope he would. _

_Oh, what am I saying? He hates me! _

Tears started rolling down her face as she leaned her head back against the wall. Gradually, her skin paled and her hair returned to light pink. Her shoulders shook as the few tears turned into sobbing. Other people in the hallway must have thought the person she had been visiting died or something, because they left her alone.

It was a good thing, though, because if anyone had asked her what was wrong, she might have slammed a chakra-infused fist in his or her face. That would not please her shishou, she knew.

Slowly, the tears stopped. She was amazed that Sasuke had not come to investigate who had barged into his room while he was trying to recover.

_Maybe he has matured a little, like Naruto_, she thought. _Or maybe he has improved his skills so much that he knew it was me to begin with…No, he would've at least said something like, _Sakura, huh? _And then attacked me so I wouldn't be able to stop him from doing anything pointless, dangerous, or even stupid._

_That cold bastard._

* * *

Naruto ate his ramen with more vigor than usual. He had to come up with a plan to get past Tsunade and Kakashi, but without Sakura helping him, it would take a while to come up with a good one. 

And for brainstorming power, he needed ramen.

Lots and lots of ramen.

* * *

"As you know, I wouldn't organize a meeting without at least a day's notice unless something imperative to the village's welfare has happened." 

Heads nodded and the words, "Hai, Hokage-sama," were spoken.

She rested her chin on her folded hands. "I'll get straight to the point, then. Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi are dead."

The few men and women in the room gasped.

"But—"

"How—"

"Who?"

She raised her hand and the room went silent. "By the young man who is now resting in Konoha Hospital. I want all the Jounin, Chuunin, and even Genin of this village to keep an extra eye out for any trouble. As for now, the Akatsuki are quiet, but I know they will try to do something to get revenge."

"What about the ANBU?" someone asked.

"The ANBU are already aware of this, of course," someone else answered. " Right, Hokage-sama?"

She nodded. "They were aware the moment I brought the young man into the hospital. Is everyone clear on the orders?"

They all nodded.

"Then you are dismissed."

* * *

As soon as she was presentable, Sakura performed the jutsu over and re-entered the room Sasuke was in. When her eyes became adjusted to the bright light coming from the window, she sighed in relief. 

He was asleep.

She changed back immediately. After staring at his sleeping form for a few seconds, Sakura sat on the chair she had collapsed in early and watched his face. She hadn't seen him in so long, but she was pleased to find he hadn't changed much, looks-wise. Oh sure, his jaw was more pronounced, his nose was more aristocratic than it had been (though she couldn't really tell that right now, as it was not stuck up in the air like it had been countless times when they were younger), and all traces of baby-fat were gone, replaced by slender muscles.

Despite her ever-present anger at him for leaving, she resisted the urge to stroke his face.

_Any other girl would have given up_, she told herself. _So why didn't I? Any other girl would have found someone else._

"I must really love you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered. "Because even though you abandoned Naruto and me, I still only hope to see you happy one day. And if that happiness is given to you by someone else, I would not be sad. Or angry. I'd be happy. Because, though you might not know, and though even Tsunade-sama and Naruto do not know, I faked laughing. And smiling. On the inside, I was crying my heart out. Every single day. I couldn't stand not seeing you for so long. All I had of you was that stupid picture and the words _'thank you'_."

She glared at his sleeping form.

"And what did that even _mean_?" she asked, still whispering. "I've thought of that moment every day for _seven years_! I couldn't get you out of my head, even when I was in danger of _dying_! How did you do this to me? And you didn't even try to impress me or anything, like Lee, or try to make me laugh, like Naruto. You were cold and apathetic. And for some reason, I found it attractive."

She paused and looked down at the floor.

"It was only recently that I found out why," she whispered quietly.

* * *

"What do you mean, someone's already visiting them?" Naruto half-yelled at the nurse who was in charge of visiting hours in the hospital for that day. How she wished she had called in sick. 

"I mean exactly that," she said, her voice gradually getting louder. "Patients on the third floor can only have one visitor at a time."

"Who's in there?!" Naruto said, peering over her shoulder at the door.

"A young woman with brown hair and dark green eyes," a boy around the age of fifteen said, coming up behind Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Green eyes?"

"Yeah," the boy answered. "She said she was doing research on the Hokage-sama—"

But Naruto was already gone.

* * *

Sakura looked back up at Sasuke's face as she said the next part. 

"I thought I could change you. I thought I could make you see that there's more to life than avenging your clan. I thought I could make you happy. And then that night, I offered to help you. I didn't really want to, but I wanted to be with you, to see your face. And you rejected me. Do you know what it's liked to be rejected?"

"_Yes_."

Sakura gasped and jumped up from the chair.

"Sasuke-kun? You were awake?"

_I hope he didn't hear anything before that._

"Sakura." He opened his eyes, but didn't look at her. "I know what's it's like to be rejected."

Sakura could not believe they were having this conversation after seven years of nothing. She also could not believe the popular Uchiha Sasuke had been rejected.

"By who?" she asked, blushing at her forwardness.

He closed his eyes again. "My father."

She watched as his hands clenched the sheets and beads of sweat appeared on his face. This was obviously not an easy subject for him.

"Sasuke-kun, please don't strain yourself. If this is too hard to talk about, please don't try to," she urged, grabbing one of his clenched fist, attempting to heal the cuts he had made with his fingernails.

Suddenly, Sasuke relaxed. Sakura sighed and let go of his hand.

"What kind of training have you gone through?" he asked, obviously interested, even if only a little.

She blushed. "Well, uh…"

_Oh, good job, Sakura. Great answer._

She cleared her throat. "Tsunade-sama has trained me. I am well practiced with medical techniques and am even better at controlling my chakra."

Inner Sakura cheered. _That was better!_

Real Sakura, however, was frowning. Sasuke had looked down at the sheets and showed no emotion on his face again. She watched him closely, looking for any sign that he would snap.

Still looking down at the sheets, he spoke again. "And…Naruto?"

Inner Sakura raged. _Naruto? What the hell? Why won't he talk about us?_

"Naruto trained for three years under Jiraiya-sama. When he came back, he, Kakashi-sensei, and I became Team Kakashi," she told him.

He turned his head towards the window. "And how is Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura smiled. He was showing curiosity about old comrade. That was definitely a human trait.

"He is doing well, though slightly stressed that the latest Icha Icha Paradise won't come out for a whi—"

She stopped when the window suddenly shattered and Naruto flew through it.

He glared at the man lying in the bed. "You."

Sasuke simply stared at the broken window.

Naruto stomped over to the bed and grabbed the collar of Sasuke's shirt.

"How could you?" he yelled. "You cold-hearted bastard! How could you leave us for that damn Orochimaru and then _come back_? Were you expecting a damn _party_? Were you expecting everything to go back to _normal_? Were you?!"

Sasuke looked down. "I wasn't expecting anything."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What?"

"You have every right to be pissed right now."

Naruto loosened his hold on the shirt. "What the hell are you saying?"

Sasuke looked up at Naruto for the first time in seven years. "Baka."

Naruto glared at him again. "Say that again and I'll make you wish you had never come back."

Sasuke glared back at Naruto. "I didn't mean you."

* * *


	4. Part Four

* * *

"_I didn't mean you."_

This time Naruto let go of the shirt completely and stepped back. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he asked, "What?"

Sakura looked between the two. She had guessed whom Sasuke meant the moment he said it and wondered if she was right. She had a feeling she was.

Sasuke kept his eyes on Naruto. He didn't blink when he said, "I meant me."

Naruto took another step back. "Wha—What?"

Sakura frowned. She had been correct, in a bittersweet kind of way. "Sasuke-kun, you're not an idiot."

Sasuke shook his head, clenched his fists again, and glared at the wall behind Naruto. He didn't seem very comfortable about this conversation, if the way his eyes were starting to turn red was any indication. "Yes. I am. I chased after revenge and got it. But after everything I went through to get it, after I longed for it for so long, I'm still not happy. I must be an idiot."

Unlike Naruto, Sakura stepped towards the bed. "Sasuke-kun…"

He looked at her, the rage completely gone from his face.

"Sasuke-kun, I—"

The door burst open and the nurse Naruto had been unintentionally annoying to ran in with two medic-nins Sakura recognized. She immediately stepped back from the bed.

The nurse glared and Naruto and said, "I told you. Only one visitor at a time."

Naruto was about to retort when Sakura said, "He is the visitor. I've been doing an examination on this patient. You could report me to Hokage-sama, but I'm sure she'll be on my side."

Sakura glared at the nurse as if to say, "_If you so much as touch either Naruto or Sasuke-kun, I will make sure you regret it._"

The nurse backed towards the door. "S—Sorry, Sakura-san."

She ran out of the room, followed by the medic-nins, who were afraid of Sakura's strength.

Sasuke, who had been watching this little confrontation, was taken aback. Why were they afraid of the pink-haired girl ninja who he had had to protect countless times in their youth? Had her training with the Hokage made her worthy of fear?

Apparently.

* * *

Later, after Naruto apologized to him, and Sakura left without saying a word, Sasuke was talking to Tsunade again. They—well, it was mostly Tsunade doing the talking. She was definitely going to need some sake when this was all over—were discussing what would happen when he left the hospital.

"I've talked with the council. They agree with me that the Akatsuki will try to avenge Uchiha Itachi."

Sasuke frowned.

"Just this morning, I placed every single Jounin on alert. They, in turn, have warned the Chuunin and Genin."

"I can take care of myself," he said suddenly.

Tsunade looked up from the papers she was holding, surprised. "You can't be serious. One person can't defeat the Akatsuki."

"Then I'll die trying."

Tsunade glared. "Don't be ridiculous. If you even try to run away again, I'll put you on probation until the day you die. You are not going to fight the Akatsuki on your own."

Sasuke turned to face her. "Fine. But I want to chose who I fight with."

Tsunade stopped glaring at him and raised an eyebrow. "This is getting interesting. All right, who?"

"Put me on Team Kakashi."

* * *

Sakura sighed as she watched Naruto eat his third bowl of ramen. She hadn't even gotten halfway through with hers.

"I'm going to kill Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said between mouthfuls.

"Naruto, don't talk with your mouth full," she said simply. She may have looked complacent, but on the inside, she was frantic.

_What are we going to do? Nothing will ever be the same with Sasuke back. It can't go back to the way things were. And my feelings have returned. If I ever lost them, anyway. And Naruto may look okay with Sasuke calling himself an idiot, but he's still confused and angry. Really, really angry._

_And how did he survive those injuries? According to the chart I noticed on the bedside table, Tsunade-sensei had to have Shizune-san help her. _

Sakura gasped. Naruto stopped shoveling pork into his mouth and looked at her worriedly.

"Sakura-chan? What's wrong?"

Sakura just shook her head. "Nothing, really. I'm just thinking about what everyone's going to do when they find out Sasuke-kun is back."

She could tell by the way he watched her face carefully that Naruto knew she was lying. Instead of asking for a truthful answer, however, he asked, "'Everyone' as in other shinobi, or 'everyone' as in the entire village?"

Sakura smiled slightly at the image of a mob chasing Sasuke down the streets of Konoha.

"The entire village," she said, smiling bigger.

In her mind, however, Inner Sakura was quieter than usual.

_He said he got revenge. _

_Did he really kill Uchiha Itachi?_

* * *

Sasuke was released from the hospital after Tsunade left with the promise that she'd put him on Team Kakashi after he'd received punishment. Her promise made him hopeful, because normally, traitors of the village—S-class criminals—were executed. That would put a constraint on his plans. Tsunade, sensing his slight happiness at not dying yet, confused it for happiness at being back with the other members of Team Seven.

"After all," she'd said, "old comrades know each other more than they know themselves. Just don't snap and try to kill Naruto if he gets too annoying."

Sasuke had smirked at that.

Reluctantly, he thought, _I've already almost killed him once, and if it weren't for the curse seal, I would've failed before I even had the chance to kill him. With two Sannin senseis, my fire jutsu, his shadow replication jutsu, the sharingan, and the kyuubi, it'd be hard to even scratch each other._

_And by the looks of it, Sakura has also gotten stronger._

_I wonder if she'd allow me to fight her. The only other medic-nin I've fought was Kabuto._

He glared at the ground as he walked on.

_He was the easiest to kill._

When he arrived at his destination, he stood at the gate and stared for a few minutes.

The same paint.

The same wood.

The same symbol.

For the first time in years, he was home.

* * *

As she was contemplating Sasuke's words, Sakura suddenly remembered what Naruto had tried to ask her in the forest.

"Naruto?"

He looked up from the now almost-empty bowl. "Yeah?"

"What were you trying to ask me before all this happened? Back in the forest on the way to get the scroll?"

Naruto blushed slightly again. "Ano…ano…"

Sakura smiled at him. "Is it a girl who's bothering you so much?"

Naruto slammed a fist down on the table and Sakura jumped, startled.

"She'd never bother anyone, dattebayo!" he shouted.

Passerby gave them strange looks.

"N…Naruto, calm down." Sakura blushed. "I didn't mean that _literally_."

Naruto stopped glowering at her and said, "Gomen. It's just that…ano…I think I like someone."

Inner Sakura, revived from depression at Naruto's shyness about girls, shouted.

_I KNEW IT!_

Real Sakura just grinned. "Oh, really? Do you want to talk about it? I could give you some tips."

Naruto looked astounded. "You'd help me? Really?"

"Of course!" Sakura exclaimed. "You're my friend, aren't you?"

Naruto grinned too. "You're a _great_ friend, Sakura."

This time it was Sakura who blushed.

"You're just saying that," she teased.

Naruto pondered this for a moment. "You're right. Now tell me these tips."

Sakura clenched her fists. "Naruto!"

He didn't realize that she was going to punch him in time.

"Baka! If you think I'm helping you after you insult me like that, you're wrong!"

Naruto cowered on the floor, clutching his injured head. "Ow, Sakura-chan! That hurt!"

"I'll hurt you even more the next time you insult me when I'm having a bad day," she warned him before taking the last bite of her ramen. "Now get off the floor. You look stupid, baka."

* * *

Tsunade sighed as she propped her feet up on her desk and leaned back in her chair. Shizune had gone out to get more sake in order to reward the Godaime, who had finished her paperwork for that day early.

Shizune didn't know that Tsunade had hidden at least a third of the stack under some notebooks in the second drawer on the left when Shizune was preoccupied with an exasperated Konohamaru.

She chuckled when she remembered what the young Chuunin had said a few weeks after he became a Genin.

_He really thinks Naruto will become the sixth Hokage,_ she thought. _And something tells me that he's not the only one._

* * *

Naruto sat at Team Seven's old training grounds. He stared at the three logs sticking up straight out of the ground and felt a bit nostalgic. When he had thought of Sasuke being back when he parted ways with Sakura earlier, he'd remembered the last time they saw each other and became overwhelmed with anger.

So he tried to think of somewhere in Konoha where the three of them—and their sensei, of course—had been together, happy.

And where else to go but where they first trained together?

"N…Naruto…kun?" a quiet voice said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He jumped up and nearly knocked the poor girl over.

"Oh! Sorry!" he shouted, reaching out to grab her arm. "Hinata-chan?"

She blushed slightly. He hadn't let go of her arm. "Yes, Naruto-kun. I…ano…I was just…"

He watched her with a small grin on his face.

"I was just wondering if you would train with me tomorrow?" she rushed out.

Naruto tilted his head. "Sure, what time?"

"Um, is seven okay…?"

Naruto grinned wider and did the 'nice guy pose' that she was now familiar with. "All right! Just don't be late! See ya later!"

Hinata watched Naruto run off.

_Where is he going? Wasn't _I_ supposed to leave after asking for a favor?_

Confused but happy, she started walking in the direction of the Hyuuga district. She was certain that the next day would be a lot of fun.

* * *

…_under a windowsill, they all were found…_

…_a touch of concrete within the doorway…_

…_without a sound…_

* * *

Sasuke opened the gate to the Uchiha district warily. He hadn't been here in person since the massacre. Since then, he had only seen it in nightmares.

As he stepped forward, he suddenly felt Kakashi's chakra behind him. He whipped around and watched his former sensei walk toward him with his hands in his pockets.

When they were two meters apart, Kakashi stopped and nodded. "Sasuke."

Sasuke replied with a, "Hn."

Kakashi grinned behind his mask. "Had enough talking today?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, not saying anything. Kakashi, however, understood.

"I heard about your meeting with Naruto and Sakura."

The young man's face showed no shock as he said, "The room was wired."

Kakashi nodded. "Well, it's to be expected. You did betray the village. The Hokage-sama was just following procedure."

"If she was following procedure, why am I not being executed?" Sasuke hissed. He was getting impatient. Wasting time was not a favorable thing to do for the Uchiha, especially while standing in front of the place his entire family was murdered.

His former sensei ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "You'll find out soon. Tsunade-sama wanted me to give this to you."

He reached into a pocket and pulled out a scroll.

"Are those orders?" Sasuke inquired, nodding at the object.

"Hai." Kakashi tossed it lazily to Sasuke, who caught it easily. He then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke pocketed the scroll and looked once more at the gate. From what he could see, the streets were clean and the buildings were freshly painted. Raising an eyebrow, he took a few steps inside. Everything looked just as it had before that fateful day when his whole life turned upside down. It seemed weird without all the people.

Sasuke reached up to brush his fingers against an emblem painted on the wall next to him. He traced the edges of the Uchiha fan with his fingertips.

It had been repainted, too.

But who would've done that?

Who would even take the time to do a task that probably wouldn't be seen?

His questioning thoughts stopped when he remembered something.

"'_I'll do anything for you'_," he whispered, closing his eyes.

_Sakura._

* * *

(Song lyrics from "Save Me" by Shinedown) 


	5. Part Five

_Sakura._

_Why would she do this? Why the hell would she waste her time cleaning the Uchiha district while I was gone?_

_Did she know I'd come back?_

Sasuke slammed a fist on the wall, making sure he didn't hit the painted fan, but still managing to make a large crater next to it.

"That stupid girl! She should have been doing something like training! She should have been making herself stronger so she wouldn't have to worry about being killed! Stupid, annoying, girl!"

He stopped shouting and sighed. His sharingan flashed and he had the gate locked behind him in an instant.

_Tch. Stupid girl._

* * *

When he tapped on her window, Sakura nearly died of fright. The enraged look on his face, coupled with the sharingan made him look lethal. She cautiously opened the window and stepped back, giving him space to step inside. When he stayed put, standing parallel to the street below him, she sighed.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He glowered at her.

"I want you to fight me," he snapped.

She watched him carefully. "You—You want me…to fight _you_?"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?"

"Ano…I, ano, I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's not like I'll kill you," he pointed out, "seeing as we're going to be on the same team again before long."

Her eyes widened. "We are?"

"Meet me tomorrow morning at seven. You know where."

Before she could even blink, he was gone.

* * *

Tsunade reached for _one last_ bottle of sake and nearly dropped it when her pink-haired student ran into the room.

"Tsunade-shishou!" she exclaimed. "Sasuke-kun wants me to fight him! What am I going to do—?"

Tsunade was scowling at Sakura, who backed away slowly. "Gomen, Tsunade-shishou. I just—I didn't mean to interrupt."

Tsunade waved a hand, her face relaxing. "Worry don't…I'm not Sakura…drunk…"

She hiccupped.

"Now, what wanted was you it?"

Sakura sighed and went to help Tsunade get up out of her chair.

"Why must you do this to yourself?" she muttered. "Come on, Tsunade-sama. You have to go to bed."

"But tired I'm—hic—not."

_Now what am I going to do? Tsunade-shishou is drunk and Kakashi's impossible to find. Maybe Naruto has some sensible advice._

_On second, thought…I'm better off on my own._

She yawned and went back to her apartment.

_

* * *

__Uchiha Sasuke_— 

_You will begin probation tomorrow, starting at noon. The Hokage-sama would like you to be in her office by that time. The details of your probation are as follows:_

_1. Your probation will last one year, though should any emergency arrive, we will need you to fight for Konoha._

_2. You will have a curfew of eight o'clock at night to six o'clock in the morning—except to go to Hokage-sama's office, or to the hospital._

_3.You are only allowed to be alone with me, Tsunade-sama, Kakashi-san, Naruto, or Sakura. _

_4. You are not to send any scrolls to _anywhere._ If your activities are thought to be suspicious, you will be taken into custody or the ANBU will see to the matter directly._

_Please do not do anything that would seem suspicious to anyone. Follow this without any complaints or problems, and your probation may shorten in length. _

—_Shizune_

* * *

Sasuke waited impatiently on the bridge. How long was Sakura going to keep him waiting, damn it?

"Sasuke-kun."

He whipped around to see a smirking Sakura.

"Tch."

"So you didn't notice my chakra, huh?" she said, still smirking.

"Hn."

Sakura's smirk turned into a huge smile.

"It seems that you've noticed how much I've improved. I can tell by the way you're looking at your feet and making an angry face."

'_Making an angry face'? What the hell? Is she _five?

Sasuke didn't say anything out loud and walked away.

She took the hint and followed him to where he wanted to fight her. As they were walking, she noticed the Uchiha fan on the back of his shirt. The collar was not big like the ones he had in his youth. She couldn't see where Orochimaru had bitten him and left the curse mark. He was also wearing black shorts with the Shinobi gear pouches tied as though he was ready for a battle. The wrappings covering his arms were supported by the same black tie that he had worn during the last part of the Chuunin exams.

_It seems so long ago. I wonder if he ever thinks about what happened in the Forest of Death. I think about it everyday._

_The way my arms felt, wrapped around his body. Even then, I felt as though I could never let go._

* * *

Naruto and Hinata stood facing each other and panting. Kunai and shuriken surrounded them and there was grass and dirt everywhere. Hinata's Byakugen was activated and Naruto's pupils were slowly changing from blue to a reddish color.

"You…are…a great…ninja…" gasped Naruto.

Hinata blushed bright red. "So…are you…Naruto-kun."

The blond ninja's cheeks tinged slightly red but not enough to be noticeable to Hinata.

He dropped the kunai in his hand and took a few slow steps towards her.

Her eyes widened as he asked, "Would you like for me to treat you to some ramen?"

"H—Hai! I would…I would like that very much!" she said rapidly.

He smiled, his eyes changing back into bright blue. "Alright, then! Let's go!"

Hinata gasped. "N—Nar—Naruto-kun."

Naruto turned to look at her, confused. He noticed a look of naked panic on her face. Her Byakugen was still activated, so he knew she saw something coming towards them or the village.

"What is it, Hinata-chan?" he asked her worriedly, shaking her shoulders.

Her Byakugen deactivated and she fell forward. It was a good thing Naruto had been there, or she would have fainted and fallen face-first into the dirt.

"It's…it's," she began.

"It's what?!"

"Uchiha…Sasuke."

* * *

"Sasuke-kun! Slow down!" Sakura yelled, trying to catch up to the enraged man. What had gotten him enraged so much, she didn't know. All she knew was that for some reason, he wanted to fight her. With that curse seal, he'd be able to beat her in a second, so she had no idea why he would want her to try to have a fight with him. "If you want me to fight you, you're going to have to slow—the—hell—down!"

When she finally saw him, he was standing on a large branch of a tree near the old training grounds.

"Someone's already there," he muttered.

She jumped and landed next to him.

"Sasuke-kun, if you want me to fight you, there are rules. You can't just take off and leave me in the dust."

"Shut up."

Sakura frowned. "What. Did. You. Just. Say?"

Sasuke glowered at her.

"I said, 'Shut up.'"

"Don't be a smart ass, you jerk!"

Sakura's hand started glowing as she started focusing her chakra. Sasuke watched her out of the corner of his eyes with his arms crossed. It was almost as if he was bored.

"What are you going to do?" he asked. "Are you going to try and hit me?"

"I'm not going to try," she stated, and aimed a blow to his abdomen.

He jumped out of the way and landed on the ground without even having to use his Sharingan. Sakura smirked as she jumped and landed a few meters away from him, her hand still glowing.

_He fell right into my trap._

"Hn," Sasuke said, pulling out a kunai and holding it between his index and middle finger. "I could destroy you without even breaking a sweat."

Sakura scowled at him. "Want to try?"

He threw the kunai so fast she didn't have time to blink. When it flew right past her right ear, slicing a few strands of hair, she gasped and he smirked.

"I see your special training had no effect whatsoever," he said, taking out another kunai.

She snarled and raised her fist in the air, and as quick as possible for the young ninja, she slammed her fist into the ground, creating a huge earthquake that engulfed around Sasuke.

* * *

Naruto stared at her.

"Sasuke? What do you mean? Is something wron—"

An earthquake reached them, nearly sending them down huge cracks in the earth, and Naruto set Hinata down.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan, but you're too much in shock to do anything. I'll be back after I defeat whoever made you scared!"

With that, he ran off.

"Naruto-kun, it was Sasuke," she whispered, not noticing that he had gone.

"His aura of chakra…it's…it's…gone?"

* * *


	6. Part Six

Lyrics from "Cold" by Crossfade.

* * *

…_I never really …_  
…_wanted you to see…_  
…_the screwed-up side of me that I keep…_  
…_locked inside of me so deep…_  
…_that always seems to get to me…_

* * *

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura called. She shifted through dirt and rocks to where Sasuke had been standing a minute before. After not being able to sense his chakra, she became worried and started looking for him. 

He wasn't hiding from her, she knew that. He wouldn't have had time to escape that earthquake-like jutsu she had recently perfected.

With a small triumphant squeal from Inner Sakura, the real Sakura found him, his body lying dangerously near a large crack in the ground.

"Sasuke-kun!"

She rushed over to him and checked his pulse. She sighed as she felt the small, weak thump that signaled to her that his heart was working. She then checked his vitals, making sure he wasn't hurt. All he had was a slight concussion and a few scratches. It seemed he had concealed his chakra right before he passed out, and he was so well trained at it, he could keep it concealed even while unconscious.

_But why would he do that?_ she wondered.

Sakura kneeled in front of him and started focusing her chakra back to her hand. As she healed one of the few scrapes she had caused on his arm, Sasuke suddenly cried out in pain. He grimaced and reached for his neck. Sakura jumped back as soon as she saw familiar purple and black demon chakra slowly rise from his skin.

Sakura panicked. She grabbed his shirt collar and a kunai and sliced the fabric open a few inches. The curse seal had gone from black to looking like little flames slowly disappearing.

_It's going away? But then why is the demon chakra still coming out?_

Sasuke groaned and his body jerked. His eyes opened rapidly. Sakura saw them and gasped.

His Sharingan had activated and the white around them had turned black. His skin was getting darker and his hair had started to turn purple and grow longer. There was a black four-pointed marking across his nose. His body jerked again and he rolled over onto his stomach, gasping and moaning in pain. Two large bulges had formed where his shoulder blades were.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered, horrified. "What's happening to you?"

"Sakura-chan! Get away from him!" Naruto yelled, jumping in front of her.

"Naruto! Naruto, what's wrong?" Sakura cried, grabbing the young man's leg. "Tell me what's happening!"

"Just go! In a clearing about forty meters southeast, you'll find Hinata. Take her and go to Tsunade-sama. Describe what Sasuke looks like to her and tell her I'm holding him off. Go!"

"Naruto, what ever this is, you can't fight it on your own!"

"Sakura." Naruto glared at her. "Just. Go."

She nodded and headed towards the clearing he described.

* * *

"Sasuke, get a hold of yourself," Naruto said in a stern voice to the gasping man. "You shouldn't have done that in front of Sakura. You really worried her." 

Sasuke, who had since rolled back over on his back, turned his head to face him. His long purplish hair covered his eyes, so Naruto couldn't see the expression on his face other than the grim line of his mouth.

Naruto, who was sitting down, holding a kunai—just in case—and watching Sasuke carefully, started humming.

The last Uchiha bared his teeth and suppressed another cry of pain. He didn't want Naruto to see him in this weakened state. It was better than have an anxious Sakura here, he had to admit. But no one—not one person—was supposed to see this happen.

"_Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said, chuckling, "when you kill me, you'll regret it. Eventually you'll feel pain unlike any other."_

_The young man smirked. "Any pain would be worth murdering you, you bastard."_

_Orochimaru grinned, his snake-like tongue sliding out of his slightly open mouth. _

"_Don't say anything you'll regret later, my Sasuke-kun."_

He didn't regret it. Killing that horrible _thing_ was worth this.

"Naruto," he managed to utter, trying to lift his head off the ground. "Gomen. For everything."

His head lolled and he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Sakura ran as fast as she could with Hinata clinging to her. She was carrying her piggyback style. It was a good thing Hinata was so light, or Sakura would not have been able to reach Tsunade quickly. 

"Sakura," Hinata whispered. "It's…it's Uchiha Sasuke….he's back."

"I know," Sakura said soothingly. "He's been back for a couple of days."

"Oh…"

Sakura reached the village and jumped from roof to roof until she arrived at the Hyuuga compound. Once she did, Hinata had recovered from the breakdown she had and promised to go inside and rest. After that, Sakura searched for Tsunade and was relieved when she found her in her office, doing paperwork.

"Tsunade-sama," she said, almost out of breath. "I need to tell you something urgent."

The Hokage looked at the clock, then at Shizune, who nodded.

"I'll be outside," she said, bowing and leaving.

Tsunade waited patiently for Sakura to figure out how she was going to put this.

"Um, Tsunade-sama," she began. "It's Sasuke-kun…"

* * *

Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke stopped breathing. He dropped the kunai and rushed over to him. 

"Teme, you can't die! Sakura didn't even use all of her strength! Wake up!" he yelled, shaking his shoulders.

Sasuke's skin returned to normal, his hair shortened and went back to black, and the strange wings that were emerging out of his back withdrew. Curious, the frantic Naruto looked at where Sakura had sliced his shirt open. The curse seal was completely gone.

"Nani…? Did you know this would happen, teme?" he said quietly for once.

Sasuke breathed in, deeply and raggedly. Naruto relaxed his grip on his shoulders and sighed as Sasuke continued breathing slowly.

"What's this?" Tsunade asked as she jumped down from a tree. "He's back to normal?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I think he's unconscious. His breathing is a little slower than it should be."

Tsunade checked his pulse and opened his eyes, peering into them.

"He's unconscious but he'll be alright," she assured Naruto. "Help me get him to the hospital."

* * *

Sakura sat once again at Sasuke's bedside, though this time she was fighting the urge to fall asleep. She had been frantic ever since Tsunade had left without her to figure out what was wrong with Sasuke. Shizune had even threatened to put her on a sedative, but Sakura controlled herself after that. Sasuke would wake up at any time, and Sakura wanted to be there when he did. She thought she was responsible for what happened. 

"Sasuke-kun, I'm so sorry," she said, leaning closer to the bed.

He didn't move or respond. She sighed and closed her eyes, allowing them to rest a little while. Just as she was drifting into sleep, Tsunade woke her up.

"Sakura, we need to talk. Come out into the hall with me."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

They both looked to see if anyone could listen to their conversation before Tsunade started talking.

"Sakura, when Sasuke wakes up, I want him to stay over at your apartment until we can make sure he won't run away again," she told her.

"Sorry, Tsunade-sama, but why my house?" Sakura said, a frown forming on her lips.

"You succeeded in knocking him unconscious, didn't you?" Tsunade said, smiling. "If he tries to escape, just bop him on the head."

Sakura frowned deeper. "Tsunade-sama, he was trained by a Sannin and—"

"So were you."

"But—"

"Sakura, I know you. You can watch him for a couple of days before we locate an ankle bracelet that will tell us where he is at all times. Consider this a mission."

Sakura looked down at her feet and bowed. "Hai, Tsunade-sama. I will do as you say."

Tsunade grinned and put her arm around her student.

"Sakura, you've grown so much. I'm proud of you."

Sakura barely had time to look up as Tsunade disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_She's probably gone off to search for some sake_, she thought. _But I'm really glad she's proud of me! _

Sakura beamed and went back to sit by Sasuke's bed. She didn't think he'd like living with her for a few days, but she was ecstatic.

_Only the thought of Sasuke-kun could make me this happy. I'm so happy he's back._

* * *

Sasuke woke up a few hours later. When he turned over to see Sakura slumped over in a chair next to his bed, he almost smiled. She looked so funny, sitting hunched over as she was. She hadn't been this peaceful since he arrived, he thought. He had caused her a lot of worry and he had been cold to her a few times. 

He really hated himself then.

Looking at the fluorescent light fixture above him, he sighed quietly. He didn't want to wake her up. She had probably been upset when he passed out and went into Stage Two. And he had never wanted her to see him like that. He had never wanted any of his old friends to see him like that.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered.

He looked back over at her, apprehensive, thinking she was awake. Her eyes were still closed and he relaxed. When she started to say more, though he frowned.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I didn't mean to hurt you so badly," she said quietly and full of emotions Sasuke couldn't identify. Living with a cold, evil bastard hadn't done much for his range of emotions.

He watched her carefully, wondering what she meant. She hadn't hurt him other than knocking him unconscious with that incredibly strong punch. And she hadn't even hit him directly! He shivered at the thought of her hitting him instantly with full force. He'd be dead in less than a second.

"I deserve being treated like the way you treat me. I'm a weak, horrible person," Sakura said quietly.

Oh, how he hated himself. He hadn't known he caused her this much pain. In this situation, he was his father and Sakura was him. He clenched his fist and vowed to make up for whatever emotional and mental pain he caused her _and _Naruto…that dobe.

"_Even though you have many faults, Sakura, you're not a horrible person,"_ he imagined himself saying to her.

"_You may be weak, but you have more admirable qualities than bad ones."_

"_You are annoying sometimes, but it would be weird without you talking continuously."_

Sasuke shook his head. "Hn. This is too hard. They were right. I am a cold, heartless bastard."

In the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw a puff of smoke. Kakashi stepped out of it, coughing.

"Damn powder," his old teacher muttered before turning to see the young man on the bed and the young woman slumped over in a chair. "Hello, Sasuke. What did you do to Sakura?"

Sasuke glared at him. "You see her sleeping, and you think I did something to her. Your faith astounds me."

Kakashi frowned under his mask. "You did betray my faith once before. What's to stop you from doing it again?"

Sasuke unintentionally glanced at Sakura.

"Oh, I see," Kakashi said quietly.

Sasuke looked back at his teacher, glaring again. "It's not like that. I…We…I just want to be friends with them again."

"What about the second half of your goal?" Kakashi pondered. "What other woman could you stand living with day after day? One who barely knows what you've gone through and only wants you for your looks? Or one who tries to understand you with her whole heart and soul, one who loves you more than anything else in the entire world, one who tries to make you happy?"

Sasuke's glare disappeared and he looked back at the still sleeping Sakura.

"She'd do all that…for me? A traitor and murderer?"

"You're not a murderer," Kakashi said. "You _used_ to be an avenger. You then showed your true loyalties and became a hero when you got rid of two of the most feared ninja in this region. And now you're just Sasuke, who lost his family in a tragic way and is just hoping to find happiness again."

"I think you've read too many of those porn books, Kakashi," Sasuke said pointedly.

Kakashi frowned.

"Sasuke, I came here for a reason. Tsunade-sama wants you to stay at Sakura's apartment for the next few days to see how you and Sakura can handle it."

"Why can't I go to the Uchiha compound?" Sasuke asked angrily.

"Consider it your first mission in seven years. I assume you'll follow orders," Kakashi said, disappearing in the same way Tsunade had.

Sasuke frowned and went back to watching Sakura. She hadn't said anything since Kakashi came and he wondered if she was just pretending to be asleep. After about three minutes of waiting to see if she was awake, he relaxed and slid down into the sheets. If he was going to be living with Sakura, he was going to need extra sleep.

* * *


	7. Part Seven

When Naruto walked into the hospital room to see his old friend and his first crush sleeping like two very tired babies, he nearly burst out laughing. Sasuke had curled up into a fetal position and Sakura was still slumped over in the chair. Instead of laughing, he sat down quietly on the windowsill and waited for them to wake up. Sakura wouldn't believe he was waiting so patiently, but he did.

His pink-haired friend was the first to wake up.

"Naruto?" she said, yawning and turning slightly red of embarrassment. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto crossed his arms and smiled. "Kakashi-sensei wants us to meet him at the bridge the day after tomorrow. Something about wanting to see how well we can work together after all this time."

Sakura nodded, then looked at Sasuke. "He did say we would be on a team together."

"Team Seven is gonna tear the bad guys apart!" Naruto shouted. He jumped up but was stopped by a pillow hurdling at him at an unreasonable speed. "Oh, Sasuke-teme, you're awake."

"I can't believe you're still that loud," Sasuke muttered, glaring at him. "And don't wake me up ever again."

"But what if it's an emergency?" Naruto said almost as if he was testing Sasuke's patience.

Sasuke continued to glare at him. "You dobe, if it was an emergency, we'd be the ones waking _you _up."

"Oh, you're right," Naruto admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Sakura smiled at them, realizing how nostalgic this scene was.

"Well, I for one, am excited that we're all going to be together," she said, standing up.

"Sakura-chan, can't you tell that I'm excited too?" Naruto said, prancing over to her.

"The whole world can tell," Sakura told him. "They can hear you with the way you're shouting everything instead of saying it."

Sasuke watched the two bickering, wondering why he missed all of Naruto's yelling and Sakura's constant subtle insults. The two argued for a few minutes and Sasuke would have fallen asleep if he hadn't been watching Sakura.

He knew as he watched her that she had gotten stronger. She had, of course, knocked him out, but that was a coincidence. If the curse seal hadn't deactivated as it had, he would have been able to beat her.

It would have been a slow victory with her astounding strength, he admitted to himself.

He continued observing her until Naruto finally stopped arguing with her and turned his attention back on him.

"Oy, Sasuke-teme!" he said. "How do you feel about shacking up with Sakura-chan?"

Sakura reddened and hit Naruto on his head. Sasuke just glared.

"It's not like that, baka," he hissed. "And could you leave? I need sleep."

* * *

Sakura kept herself busy to keep her mind off Sasuke coming to live with her for a few weeks. But no matter how many patients she examined, she couldn't stop thinking about him. 

She wondered why she wasn't angry with him. He had been cold to her from the start. He had called her weak; he had unintentionally made her fall in love with him by being his moody, emotional retarded self. He had finally become her friend.

And then he abandoned her.

Now, though, he was back. She didn't know if it was by choice yet, but he was close to Konoha when they found him. Maybe he _had_ wanted to come back, and he had accomplished the first part of his goal.

Sakura gasped and nearly dropped to her knees.

She knew what he was going to do, and she hated it.

She was sure he wanted someone to help him complete his goals with. She was sure that she wanted to be that person. But she was also sure that he wanted someone who didn't know what he had gone through, and she was sure he wanted to start over, without her.

It nearly killed her right then when she thought of Sasuke with another woman.

_I can't let him know it would destroy me_, she thought. _I have to be strong, for the sake of all three of us._

* * *

It was awkward, she would admit later, when Sasuke first arrived at her house, with two guards flanking his either side, holding his hands behind him. Sasuke had a bored expression on his usually emotionless face as the guards escorted him into her apartment. 

Sasuke would later admit that he could have killed the guards easily if he wanted to.

The Sakura then wanted to die from embarrassment as the then Sasuke sunk slowly onto her black futon and stared at the wall, waiting for the guards to release their chakra strings. When they did, he looked at her with a stunningly intensified expression in his once dull black eyes.

She stared back at him from a second without embarrassment or shyness. Then she broke the contact and mentally screamed at him.

"The bathroom is the first door on the right in the hallway, and the kitchen is through that door," she said, pointing in the direction of each room. She paused before adding, "And if you need anything during the night, my bedroom is across from the bathroom."

"I know," was all Sasuke said.

Sakura glanced back at him, confused. He stared at her and realization dawned.

"Oh," she said nervously. "You saw when you came the other night."

She was answered by one tilt of his incredibly attractive head.

"Hn."

She took that as a yes. Sakura looked down at the floor and tried to stop herself from yelling at him.

_Say something, god damn it!_

"I'll be in my room if you need me," she said quietly.

Sasuke said nothing and she walked to her room, grateful for once to get away from him.

* * *

He watched her walked away with a defeated expression on her face and had no idea of what to do. He ran a hand through his hair and gritted his teeth. No one had prepared him for this. 

To ask someone he apparently still cared about for a favor.

He had no idea what to do, and it frustrated him. He supposed he could ask Naruto how to approach her, but the baka probably wouldn't be able to keep it a secret. He would have all of Konoha lined up, ready to see and hear Sasuke ask an embarrassing question.

"_Sakura, would you be willing to bear my children?_"

"_Will you be my baby-making machine_?"

"Tch. I need Naruto."

* * *

"So, teme," Naruto said when he arrived at Sakura's door, "what do you want?" 

"I need to ask you something," Sasuke admitted.

Naruto's eyes widened. "What kind of something?"

Sasuke looked back at Sakura's closed door. No sound was coming from her room, and he sighed. "It's private. So be quiet."

He moved so Naruto could walk in. Naruto waited patiently on the couch while Sasuke paced back and forth, trying to figure out how to say this.

"What's Sakura like now?" he asked, trying to buy some time.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is she happy? Is she…is she…"

"Dating anyone?" Naruto supplied.

Sasuke stopped pacing and looked at Naruto, who was smiling slightly.

"Isn't that what you want to know? Don't you want to know if she's taken?"

Sasuke could feel blood rush to his face. Naruto would've laughed if he hadn't been instructed to be quiet. Instead, he watched Sasuke struggle with this information with an amused look on his face. Sasuke started pacing again.

_Tch. I didn't even think of that. Does Sakura have someone? What will I do if she does? Kakashi said she still loved me, but maybe she did move on. Maybe he was just playing those idiotic mind games again. _

He stopped pacing again and watched Naruto watch him.

"Well?" Sasuke pressed. "Does she?"

Naruto smiled brightly.

"Nope!"

Sasuke glared at him. "Don't do things like that."

Naruto's smile slipped off his face. He stood up and walked over to Sasuke.

"'_Don't do things like that'_?" he snarled. "That's an odd statement coming from you, you traitor. Do you know what we went through while you were gone? We went through hell! Sakura, especially! Did you know she tried to go after you? Did you know she almost let herself get killed? Did you?!"

Sasuke looked down at the floor. Quietly, he asked, "When did this happen?"

"After you tried to kill me," Naruto stated venomously.

Sasuke was silent and Naruto scowled at him.

"If you want help with your selfish problems, go to someone else," he hissed. He turned on his heels and slammed the door behind him.

The door to Sakura's room opened. Sasuke's emotionless face greeted her when she entered the small living room.

"Was that Naruto?"

Sasuke nodded.

"What did he want?"

"Nothing."

Sakura frowned. "Then why was he here?"

"I had to ask him something."

Sakura looked at the door. "What made him storm off like that?"

"Tch."

She knew by that sound that he didn't want to answer, so she sighed and went to the door.

"If you're going to be like that, then I'm going after him," she stated. "Don't leave. I'll be back."

When she left, Sasuke could only think one thing.

_Damn it._

* * *

"Sakura, do you know what you could have let happen?" 

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama. I won't do it ever again." Sakura bowed and expressed her apologies to the Hokage. "I wasn't thinking."

"No, you weren't. You disobeyed my orders. I'm afraid you'll have to receive some sort of probation."

Sakura closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

"Shizune, what's the minor sentence for this?"

"Three months probation," Shizune said, not looking up from the scroll. "Sorry."

"I'm prepared to take the full sentence," Sakura said. "I deserve it."

Tsunade looked at her student and sighed. "Sakura, you only left him alone for a half hour."

"But he's an S-class criminal," Sakura pointed out. "I should have made sure he was in my sight the whole time."

"The boy didn't even leave the room."

"But he _could_ have."

"Although he _didn't_."

"He _could_ have!"

"Sakura, I get the feeling that you want to be on probation for…what is it, Shizune? Six months?" the Hokage deliberated. "Is that what you're thinking, too, Shizune?"

Shizune looked up at Sakura and nodded. "What's wrong?"

Sakura looked down at her feet. "Nothing's wrong."

Tsunade tilted her head and studied her. "If you need something, Sakura, just ask us."

Sakura looked back up at Tsunade, knowing exactly what she meant.

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou."

"You are dismissed."

* * *

**A/N**: Well, I'm back! (I was in Charleston, for those who want to know.) Despite it being vacation, I only had time to write on the way there and on the way back. (My dad is a go, go, GO person. He made me wake up at six in the morning. On vacation!) And since my laptop battery sucks, I could only write a little bit. Stupid battery. 

Anyway, thanks for the reviews!

The next chapter—the last chapter—is almost done, so it will be up in a few days. Maybe two or three? It's going to be long, I think.

Hope you enjoyed.


	8. Part Eight

A/N: Even though I find Ino slightly annoying, I think she is a great friend to Sakura. So I had her be a great friend in this. Sorry if you think she's OOC, but characters grow up, especially after the seven year time-skip in this story.

Song lyrics at the end are from "Our Time Now" by the Plain White T's.

Please enjoy this last chapter!

* * *

Sasuke watched as Sakura made them both dinner. Ever since she had gotten back from her unsuccessful attempt of finding out what had happened between him and Naruto, she had not let him leave her sight unless one of them was in the bathroom. Instead of finding it annoying, he became used to it rather quickly. Although he wouldn't really miss it when she stopped. 

"Sasuke-kun, what would you like to eat?" she called.

He looked at the small opening into the kitchen and didn't answer.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said slowly. "If you don't tell me what you want to eat, I'll force feed you wa-gashi."

Sasuke frowned and walked into the tiny kitchen.

"Onigiri," he stated.

She smiled. "I thought so."

_Then why did you ask?_ he thought angrily as he went back to sitting on the couch.

Sakura called him again. "The food is ready! You'll have to eat in here."

"Are you going to tell me what happened with Naruto?" she asked when they both sat at her small table.

"Hn."

"Fine."

They ate in silence and both were glad when it was over.

* * *

Later, around eight, that night, they were both startled when someone banged loudly on the door.

"Sakura, open up! I know you're in there!" a woman shouted. Sasuke looked at the door, then at Sakura, contemplating whether he should hide or not. Sakura pointed quietly to the bathroom. He walked slowly to it and as he turned around to shut the door, he stared at Sakura with a raised eyebrow until the door closed. She knew he would be listening through the door.

Sakura shook her head, trying to get Sasuke out of her mind. She shouted, "I'm coming!" to the woman.

"Hello, Ino-pig," she greeted her friend. "What are you doing here?

"Guess," the tall blonde-haired woman said, her hands on her hips.

Sakura tilted her head and tried to think of something.

"Does it have to do with anything concerning Shikamaru?" she asked, naming Ino's boyfriend of three years.

"I guess you could say that."

Sakura frowned. "Ino, tell me why you're here."

Ino looked over Sakura's shoulder towards the kitchen and sitting area before her gaze landed on the closed door of the bathroom. Sakura mentally cursed at her self. She forgot to tell Sasuke to conceal his chakra.

"Is there someone here?" she said, taking a step in that direction. Sasuke's chakra disappeared and Sakura sighed. She knew that by blocking the way would give everything away, so she moved out of Ino's way.

"No," she said lightly. Ino just looked back at her and sighed.

"Sakura, we need to talk. I have some bad news."

Sakura watched as her friend struggled to tell her the news. Something was obviously very wrong if Ino, the blabbermouth of all ninjas, was unable to speak. So Sakura guided Ino over to the futon she had been sitting on with Sasuke earlier and waited for her friend to say what she wanted to say.

Ino decided to just blurt it out.

"Sasukeisback," she rushed.

"What?"

Ino slowed down. "Sasuke is back."

Sakura frowned. "And what does that have to do with Shikamaru?"

"You know?" Ino exclaimed. "Hinata told me no one else knew!"

"Of course I know! Hinata must have meant no one else but me, her, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-sama, and Shizune-san, then," Sakura said, counting the persons mentioned with her fingers. Ino sighed and there was a slight pause.

"Well, then, where the hell is that bastard?" Ino said, clenching her fist. "I'm going to have to kick his ass after what he did."

Sakura sighed.

"Ino, he's not going to get his ass kicked by you."

The bathroom door opened and Sasuke stepped out. Ino stood up and walked over toward him. He watched her warily with his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to start yelling or something so he could get the first meeting of old acquaintances over with.

Ino, however, just watched him. Then she turned to Sakura and said, "You think you can handle him?"

"Ino," Sakura warned.

"Alright, alright." She looked back at Sasuke and whispered a warning. "If you so much as scratch her, I will make your life a living hell."

Sasuke frowned at her. "Hn."

Ino then smiled at him, then Sakura, and bounced over to the door.

"Bye, Forehead," she called. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Sakura sweat-dropped. "Okay, Ino."

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair and muttered a curse. "She's loud," he stated simply to Sakura. She nodded in agreement. Her friends were so obnoxious sometimes. She hoped Hinata kept quiet about this.

Sasuke, instead of saying something along the lines of "hn" or "tch" made a mental note to ask Ino for help on Sakura.

He was sure the annoying blonde would help him with his question.

* * *

"Ino, are you sure about this?" Sakura asked as she opened the door to her apartment. "Can you handle being alone with him?"

"Sakura," Ino sighed. "Just go. If I need help, I'll find it."

Sakura looked worriedly behind her friend at Sasuke, who was still sitting in the same position he had the entire morning. The poor man looked bored out of his mind.

"Alright, I'll go," she said.

_Sasuke-kun will be fine. We do have training tomorrow, so he's going to have to deal with it,_ she told herself. 

With one last glance at Ino and Sasuke, she left.

Ino clapped her hands together and whipped around to face Sasuke.

"Now, then, what did you want to talk about?"

Sasuke hesitated.

"…I want to ask Sakura something."

Ino's eyes widened.

"Nani?!"

* * *

Sakura went straight to Naruto's. Even though she had no idea why he and Sasuke were fighting again, she wanted to patch things up.

"Oh, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "Come in!"

"Naruto, this is unsanitary," Sakura said, grimacing at the trash and dirty clothes covering his floor.

"I know, I know. What did you come over for?"

"Sasuke-kun."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"Please don't fight with him," Sakura said. "I know you can't help it, but please try."

"He started it, Sakura," Naruto stated angrily. He crossed him arms and leaned against a counter.

She sighed. "Well, can you at least ignore him until training? Then you can beat him up."

Naruto smiled slightly. "Okay, for you."

Inner Sakura cheered.

"Oh, and Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"How're you and Hinata?"

"H-Hinata?" Naruto blushed and she beamed at him.

"Don't screw it up, Naruto-kun."

* * *

"Sakura," Sasuke said from his seat on her couch later that day.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"Come with me," he demanded.

"Sasuke-kun, you shouldn't be walking in your condition," she told him, slicing an apple.

"I feel fine," he stated without any emotion in his voice.

"Yes, but you need more rest for training tomorrow. Your chakra level is still low. And Kakashi-sensei wants to determine our capability to work with each other again."

Sasuke frowned.

"Please…" he whispered, looking down at his feet.

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at him. The need in his voice worried her. He had never begged for anything from her. He had never even begged her to leave him alone when they were younger. When he looked back up at her, the look in his eyes was heartbreaking. He looked so lonely, so confused, and so…empty.

There was a point when her eyes had looked that way, too.

"Okay, Sasuke-kun."

When he stopped walking, she looked around. They were standing at the gates of his family's compound.

"_I can't tell you what to say to her. It'll come to you."_

_He frowned._

"_And if you hurt her in any way, you'll regret it."_

"_Hn."_

"Sakura, tell my why you did it," he commanded softly, looking at the emblem painted on the entrance.

Sakura tried to play dumb. "Did what?"

He looked back at her and she resisted the voice in her head telling her to look away. His eyes seem to look into her mind.

"You know," he whispered.

She looked down at the ground, wringing her hands.

"I thought that cleaning this place up would make me happy."

He raised an eyebrow. "Make _you_ happy?"

"H—Hai. It was like I was with you again." She blushed furiously. "I wanted to feel connected to you, so, after training, I came here everyday. It wasn't until a few times after I started coming here that I started cleaning. First, I cleaned the streets and then I cleaned the exterior and interior of the buildings. I had to replace a few windows. After that, I painted…"

She knew she was rambling, so she stopped and said the one thing she wanted him to _really_ hear.

"I…I missed you Sasuke-kun—"

He kissed her. It wasn't long, and it wasn't full of fireworks, but she felt something like electricity shoot through her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

When he pulled away, her eyes were still open and her lips had parted slightly. She was sure he could hear her heart pounding.

"Sasuke-kun…" she breathed. "Why…?"

His cheeks turned slightly pink. "Because you were the only one who ever really loved me."

She smiled.

"I still do."

He stepped forward and put his hand on her waist, rather shyly.

"May I?"

"Of course."

And they kissed again.

* * *

The next day, they met Naruto at the bridge where they had met countless times in their youth. Sakura was there first, then Sasuke, and then Naruto.

Naruto noticed that something was going on the instant he walked up. Instead of standing far apart from each other like before, the new couple (unbeknownst to Naruto at the time) was sitting on the railing, their legs almost touching. And even when they noticed Naruto, they didn't move away.

"So I guess you're together now," Naruto said, smirking.

Sakura blushed. "It's…it's not like that…"

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Dobe, don't embarrass her."

Naruto nodded, still smirking, and sat down next to Sasuke, who frowned and moved an inch away from him. This caused his leg to brush Sakura's. Her face turned slightly red again and she smiled. For a few minutes, they sat in a comfortable silence, waiting for their leader to arrive.

"This is the way things were supposed to be," Naruto suddenly said.

Sakura looked at him. "What?"

"You two together, me and Hinata, and Team Seven back."

Sasuke nodded. "You've really changed, Naruto."

Naruto glanced up, startled. "You didn't call me any names."

"Baka, I did call you a name."

Naruto glared and folded his arms across his chest.

"Yeah, but it wasn't an insult, teme!"

Sasuke looked at him, and truly smiled. He'd be doing a lot of that soon, he knew. He leaned back and little and turned to Sakura. Seeing his grin, she smiled, too.

"Let's just hope this lasts as long as possible," she whispered, looking into his eyes.

"Aa."

* * *

…_this is a dance for all the lovers…_  
…_taking a chance for one another…_  
…_finally it's our time now…_


End file.
